Microsoft has started an expanded test programme for its
forthcoming SQL Server 2005 database and provided more details on
product features, including support for AMD's Opteron
processors.
Microsoft made SQL Server 2005 Beta 2 available to about 500,000
developers and users through its Microsoft Developer Network
website, a company spokeswoman said. The first beta version was
released about a year ago and was limited to about 12,000
people.
SQL Server 2005, also known as Yukon, succeeds SQL Server 2000,
which was released in late 2000. Enhancements in the new release
focus on data management, developer productivity and business
intelligence and are intended to help Microsoft compete in the
database market against IBM and Oracle.
Starting with the second beta, SQL Server 2005 supports AMD's
Opteron chips, which can run 32-bit and 64-bit applications.
Microsoft already supports Intel's Itanium 64-bit processors and
will also support its forthcoming Xeon processors with 64-bit
extensions in future versions of SQL Server 2005, the spokeswoman
said.
In addition to the Opteron support, Microsoft said SQL Server
2005 Beta 2 introduces a new management tool called SQL Server
Management Studio that combines existing management tools with
added support for SQL Server Reporting Services, Notification
Services, Extensible Markup Language and SQL Server 2005 Mobile
Edition.
SQL Server 2005 Beta 2 will also offer testers a chance to try
the new database encryption feature as well as offer tight
integration with Microsoft's Visual Studio 2005 developer tool and
software for data mining.
A third beta version of SQL Server 2005 is expected by the end
of 2004. Microsoft earlier this year delayed the final versions of
the 2005 editions of SQL Server and Visual Studio until the first
half of 2005. That is still the schedule, the spokeswoman said.
Joris Evers writes for the IDG News Service